Webinar Series: COVID-19's Impact on Nebraska Ag

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Agricultural Economics’ Farm and Ranch Management team is presenting a series of webinars focusing on COVID-19’s impact on agriculture in Nebraska.

The live webcasts will cover topics related to management and economic issues relevant to producers and communities in the state. They will be presented by experts from across the country and include time for questions and answers.

The free webinars will be held on Zoom and will run for approximately one hour. Registration is open to everyone until the start of each session (see schedule below).

Additional webinars are expected to be announced.

Additional information, a schedule of upcoming webinars and recordings of each session will be available on this page.

COVID-19, the oil price collapse and world-wide lockdowns have caused a challenging economic environment for farmers. The marketing challenge may increase as the growing season progresses. Farmers can meet the challenge through a consistent marketing approach that reduces risk and tries to ensure cash flow in 2020. Some marketing strategies reduce risk and others may increase farmer risk. This webinar will help attendees understand which marketing strategies these are.

Force Majeure: How Extraordinary Events Can Impact Ag Contracts

Thursday, June 18, noon.

J. David Aiken, Professor and Water & Agricultural Law Specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Many agricultural contracts have an “act of God” clause in them which usually provides that because of the occurrence of the unforeseen extraordinary event, neither party is held to the contract. For contracts that do not have an “act of God” clause, other elements of general contract law may relieve one or both of the parties of liability for not performing under the contract. We will explore these issues as they might apply to the ag industry challenged by the current coronavirus pandemic.

Archived Webinars

Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) in Nebraska: What You Need To Know (June 4, 2020)

Cathy Anderson, Production and Compliance Programs Chief, USDA Farm, Service Agency Nebraska State Office, and Brad Lubben, Extension Associate Professor and Policy Specialist, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The program provides direct financial assistance to agricultural producers to offset market supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19. It is being implemented by FSA, with county offices across Nebraska accepting applications through Aug. 28, 2020. The webinar will present information on commodities covered under the program, payment rates and details on navigating the application process.

We have put together a panel to discuss Risk Management and Livestock Risk Protection. We know we have several feedlots that use Risk Management and we would like to give members a better understanding of the programs available. Being a strong cow-calf state, we also know we need to expose more producers to these options. We hear from our cow-calf producers that they know they need to use risk management, but they just don’t know enough.

Ethanol: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (May 28, 2020)

Roger Berry, Administrator, Nebraska Ethanol Board.

A look at where we have come with ethanol, where we are today due to a multitude of economic disruptions in the ethanol industry—with the big disrupters being federal policy and COVID-19. Plus, opportunities for the future for ethanol, with information on the big picture and what it all means for Nebraska agriculture.

Managing Behavioral Health: A Key to Farming and Ranching in the Era of COVID (May 21, 2020)

COVID adds new uncertainties to farming and ranching on top of a five-year economic recession in agriculture. Like the bomb cyclone and flooding that impacted Nebraska last year and into 2020, COVID is largely beyond the control of agricultural producers. Importantly, however, we can control how we behave. Farm and ranch families can develop behavior plans that include: signs of physical and emotional distress, daily behavior practices that nurture one another, looking out for neighbors and loved ones while maintaining physical distance, building a support team that can be contacted when needed, and resources that are available free to Nebraskans. Examples of behavior management tactics and Power Point slides will be shared by Dr. Chasek and Dr. Rosmann.

Steve Kay, Editor and Publisher of Cattle Buyers Weekly, will discuss what is currently happening in the meat packing industry and what this looks like moving forward through the next production cycle. Includes time for questions and answers.

Strategies for Business Success During COVID-19 (May 7, 2020)

Dave Goeller has worked with thousands of producers that were experiencing stressful times, helping them evaluate their business and to make some hard decisions. He will share ideas and a process to help you organize critical business information in a way that will provide structure that will facilitate potential changes and adjustments to the business. No one knows your business better than YOU. Identifying what information is essential and a priority for you can serve as a guide for the decision-making process and moving forward.

Leading Yourself, Your Workforce and Your Business in the COVID-19 Crisis (April 30, 2020)

Dr. Bob Milligan discusses the three keys to managing in this crisis: leadership, planning, and communication/collaboration. As a leader of your farm business, you have two key leadership roles: 1. Leading yourself and your workforce in these unprecedented times, and 2. Positioning your farm business to survive/thrive in this crazy environment. Dr. Bob will provide timely tips on a) taking care of yourself so you can lead, b) keeping your workforce safe, focused, and motivated, and c) effective collaboration between your partners and the outside world to survive/thrive in this difficult time.

USDA Farm Service Agency Program Tools to Assist Producers During the COVID-19 Pandemic (April 23, 2020)

Ben Herink, Farm Loan Program Specialist, and Doug Klein, Price Support and Conservation Program Chief, USDA Nebraska Farm Service Agency State Office..

USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Nebraska remains open for business across the state, using phone, email, mail and fax communication to deliver program services to farmers and ranchers while in-person access to offices is limited. The agency is offering some program flexibilities during this time to aid producers, including relaxing some processes within the farm loan program and extending the maturity deadline for commodity crop marketing loans. These changes are designed to assist producers with cash flow during a challenging time for marketing crops and livestock.

COVID-19 Economic Developments and U.S. Agriculture (April 16, 2020)

This webinar provides an update on recent national and regional economic developments connected to COVID-19 and implications for U.S. agriculture. Prior to mid-February, many regions and industries appeared to be on solid economic footing with strong labor markets and steady investment activity. In the weeks that followed, however, economic activity dropped sharply alongside developments related to COVID-19. All segments of the economy have been affected to varying degrees, including agriculture. The goal of this webinar is to share recent information on these developments, and policy responses that have been implemented, that will be relevant for businesses, communities, and individuals in Nebraska.